Isaac Wilson wins the backup job!! Was Utah Football Disrespected by the AP Poll?

a Whittingham just named Isaac Wilson Utah's backup quarterback it's a shocker and we're breaking it down as well as reacting to the latest AP poll all that and more on today's locked on Utes you are locked on youut your daily podcast on the Utah Utes part of the locked on podcast Network your team everyday hello everyone and thank you for making lock on you to your first listen and first view of the day we are available wherever you get your podcast and on YouTube we are part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day and thank you for those of you who do listen to this show every single day if you are in the market for a second listen we recommend checking out locked on college football where Spencer mlin who just joined me on yesterday's show was helping me break down the quarterback landscape but he does a great job covering all the biggest stories throughout all of the Fall camps in the sport that we love the most college football today's episode of lockon Utes is brought to you by our great friends at FanDuel you can make every moment more as the playoffs wind down the sport stops sporting like we want them to but this summer fanduel's hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long you can visit fanduel.com to get started my name is JT WIIL former intern inside the University of Utah athletic department on today's show excited to talk about the backup quarterback battle has been in progress for a long time we finally have an answer Utah's in the top 15 of the eight people I think there are a few spots they should have been higher but overall we'll get to my rankings there and we got to talk about the rest of Kyle Whittingham and the player's thoughts after a new media availability but it was at that media availability where we're able to learn that Kyle Whittingham and Utah have settled on a backup quarterback and it's Isaac Wilson that's right the true freshman from Corner Canyon whose last game was inside Ryle Stadium state championship he won it this last year his first game was going to always be in rcle stadium but that action could come a lot sooner than we expect because he beat out Brandon Rose and Sam Huard for the backup quarterback job and that is something that I didn't see coming in fact all throughout I'll be honest I mean all throughout the offseason I thought that you know yes Isa looked better than Brandon I thought in the spring game but that was also a situation where I felt like okay Cam started and Brandon started on the other team and then Isaac came in for cam so Isaac was playing with more of the ones and just the better grouping of players I felt like but clearly and and he like I said he looked better than Brandon but I was like okay like still I feel like Brandon's probably there then they had Sam hu so felt like they wanted to get even stronger in the QB room I just I just didn't see Kyle Whittingham starting a true freshman or not starting excuse me having a true freshman be his backup quarterback in in a season in which so much is at stake with everything that went wrong for Utah last year that was just not something I saw coming and boy was I wrong I thought Brandon would have it because of the experience I thought Sam would get it because he's experienced and was picking up the Playbook quickly and the coaches were even raising about Sam just last week but they were asked specifically about him and all of that ended up not being the case because simply put Isaac Wilson was better I love the way that Kyle Winningham put it um as he said in his media scrum today cam rising's number one Isaac Wilson number two and that's where they're at and they're still settling out between Rose and hward but hopefully as is the case in most college football seasons if you need your backup quarterback to come in that's all you need so if all goes Utah's way at most we should only see Isaac Wilson enter the game maybe a Sam Huer or a Brandon Rose in the southern Utah game which is less than 20 20 days Away now by the way which is crazy to think about that they were that close to having college football back but that's the only way that we should see any of these other guys so this is something where it's still crazy to me that Wilson has won the job but look you just listen to the way Kyle Whittingham talks about Isaac Wilson Josh Furlong included this in one of his stories he put on ksl.com on about Winningham talking about Wilson he said he's seen the field better he's making better decisions he's got a live arm ball comes out of his hand like it's supposed to he's very mobile and that's another facet he's is really his strength is being able to have the escapability in the pocket his is sens senses the rush very well able to get himself out of jams and still makes plays on the move that is a glowing endorsement for a freshman quarterback a true freshman too I know we got the co era and everything freshman this freshman that there's a true freshman quarterback who has only been up at Utah since the spring and speaking of the spring that was something else that coach Whittingham shed some light on and said he would not have had this opportunity to start this fall in my to be or have the opportunity to start this fall is a direct quote from Winningham but be the backup if he had not had that spring experience and the summer experience for that matter he said and he said it's to the point right now roughly 50% maybe a little more of high school recruits are midyear guys it's such an advantage academically as well as football-wise and we've even heard Wilson later on he was asked about you know what this means and everything and he did say like hey the playbooks a lot it takes time to learn he also said that it's a great opportunity but he said you know I just got to continue to prove everything and just got to keep working he kept that you know stereotypical Utah mindset that we normally see these players embody you know most of them pretty quickly but it is funny to see Wilson already right away saying all of the right things that coach Whittingham loves to hear too right but um he just said to that look when you're coming in early and you're getting that opportunity in the spring that's a a massive thing because you are learning The Playbook and there's no reps like game reps but the next best thing are those practice reps in which you're going against your teammates every day especially as you're a true freshman you're learning so much trial by fire because you have been thrown in there in practice and we know Wilson struggled with turnovers early on in in springham and that is something if we ask Kyle Winningham then if Isaac Wilson would end up being this team's backup quarterback I think he says probably not but that's why he would have probably said not he probably would have said Never Say Never because of course that's what ends up happening is now Isaac Wilson is officially qb2 only behind cam rising in how do I feel about this just talking about Wilson's game I feel encouraged about it because this is Kyle whitting H Andy Ludwig making this decision making this call Utah has had yes the backup quarterback situation last year it wasn't fantastic but I also talk about this frequently eight and4 in the regular season with your only losses coming to Oregon and Washington Washington of course National Champion Oregon would have made the cfp in the current format we're now using a loss at orgon State I think only Washington's won up there in the last few seasons and then that Arizona team which ended in the top 20 all of those losses if you're a good team you you don't win there with a backup quarterback let alone all the other injuries that Utah was dealing with at the time right so Utah's even had pretty strong backup quarterback play in many situations think about Bryson Barnes in the Washington State game back in 2022 if Utah loses that game they don't get in the Pack 12 championship game because it was Utah having some weird tiebreakers that allowed them to face off against USC over the likes of Oregon and Washington which is strange because Oregon did of course beat Utah that um That season but anyways this is a Utah team when I look at it that it feels like they're primed for a special season and these coaches have made good decisions on the backups in the past and if they feel Wilson's the best guy I trust him we know he's got the talent this is a four star guy we could see in the spring game and his high school game the ability to escape the pocket right the arm strength the ability to throw off platform he was Mobile in high school he was a decent running quarterback and he can be smart too and avoid taking those monster Hits so I Wilson is going to be Utah's next quarterback I routinely said that he'll be the starter in 2025 I believe and this only further cements that as well as it's just incredibly encouraging that just two weeks into Spring ball he's already won the job as a true freshman I just don't think we can understate how impressive that is that Isaac Wilson earned the right to be cam rising's backup and what is the potential to be the biggest season in Utah football history so can't wait to see Wilson even though we I'm hoping we don't see him a ton because I'm hoping cam Rising does special things but congrats to Isaac Wilson this has me incredibly fired up about the future that he's already beaten out some experienced guys and shows you his overall Talent his growth and Wilson he's got it all and I can't wait to see it on display very soon inside rice Eckles stadium so there's other backup quarterback jocking to wait and see how that plays out we still got to talk too on this episode about the other interesting comments that Kyle Whittingham and just the players made to the media but first we do have to talk about something and that is the AP poll the first edition of the 2020 241 is out and I have some thoughts on Utah's rankings that I'm excited to get to in one moment but first want to tell you all about one of the sponsors of today's episode of lock on Utes our friends at FanDuel I love sports I love them so much I never want them to stop but as the playoffs wind down we get fewer games and the sports they're not sporting like I want them to but FanDuel lets me keep the sports going whenever I want all I have to do is open the app and dream up beds anytime I'm in the mood and this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily that's right there's something for everyone every day all summer long so you can head over to band.com and start making the most out of your summer whether it's major league baseball or hey football seasons right around the corner just mentioned it for Utah we're less than 20 days away from Utah's first game that means we're even less than that away from week zero of getting some games in an NFL season will be right around the corner there so for the NFL you can get your MVP picks in I did a fun episode on cam rising in his Heisman odds so you can head over to FanDuel and check out the Heisman odds as well or once again if you're looking for live games that's where Major League Baseball has you covered once again FanDuel is a sponsor of Major League Baseball so you can head over to fanduel.com and start making the most of your summer today all righty coming back in here want to remind you guys that locked on college football is the place for you especially if you're tired of all the shouting that you get so frequently from other sports shows on television that's where Spencer mlin comes in and he is locked in on everything that is happening in the world of college football so make sure you guys head over and check out locked on college football today okay AP poll is out of the top 25 this is the one that is yes the coaches poll is by far the second most important but this is the one when you see the teams play the AP poll is the one that they use and the AP poll is I think the one that they should use because this is the one where the media I've been lucky enough to talk with a few people who do who vote on this list and you see the process and the work that goes into crafting it and we may have a gripe here or there I don't love Utah's placement on this I think they deserve to be a top 10 team but as long as Utah is in the top 15 can totally respect and hear the argument for that and really don't have a major problem with it and that's the case here and that's where I know the AP voters and writers did their homework Josh Furlong Utah's uh writer for example he put out you know his top 25 with exclamations on each team you can tell he clearly did his research and has good reasoning in my opinion for all of them so let's talk about the AP pole ranking now Utah did emerge as the highest Big 12 team shocking not shocking they are the only team inside the top 15 Oregon state is second at 17 with Kansas State at 18 then you get Arizona at 21 and Kansas at 22 so in total you get five teams from Utah's new conference ranked but Utah the only one inside the top 12 where they're ranked at 12 now as we look at the teams in front of them I've routinely said I believe Utah is a top 10 team heading into the season but there are of course the teams that I'm not going to argue against that Utah should be above Georgia of course not Ohio State of course not Oregon of course not Texas of course not those are the ones I would say I would definitely argue against then after that I think it gets really interesting they have Alabama next I think kin dor the amount of talent that roster returns Jaylen milro being there I I think Alabama deserves to be ahead of Utah right now ol Miss is another one their roster is loaded with Talent even though I did say I think cam Rising is better than Jackson Dart but that roster man they splurged on nil to so i' have Old Miss up there uh Notre Dames at seven we'll get to them in a moment Penn State is another Squad I probably have above Drew Aller I look at so many talented players on that team that have been a part of two outstanding Seasons whether it's the Rose Bowl in which they beat Utah or last year their only two losses and yes they lost to miss but the only two losses in the regular season were two Ohio State and Michigan two of the best teams in the country so that's another team there where I'd have above and then you get into anywhere from Notre Dame Michigan Florida State and Missouri gets murky because Michigan they got a chance to be really good but they just lost so much there's rumors about the quarterback confidence and St Florida State right they lost so much I like dju but I do think dju is limited I don't think he's Jordan Travis missou is Brady cook he's good but I do think he's magnified by having the best receiver in college football to throw to so all of these teams that are coming up are good and same thing with Notre Dame right they have an impressive defensive roster but I like Riley Leonard I do but he only played in a few games and once he got hurt his numbers took a bit of a dip and I'm not trying to hold that against him but just also when the competition got stiffer his numbers took a dip so how much of it that correlates to competition versus the injury that's that's up in the air to me I just want to I want to see Notre Dame do it before I Proclaim Notre Dame's back just like last year right I thought Texas could be good but I didn't want to say Texas is back because for years we've been doing this with Texas so that that's another one where I look at and I feel like you UT has a strong strong argument to be above I do appreciate that Utah is ranked above both LSU and Clemson because with LSU that's the def the reason I feel so good about UT is because I've seen cam Rising I've seen Brink if you want to say things about the injuries sure but let's look at LSU there's a lot of new they have a new defensive coordinator they gonna have a new quarterback there new everything I would rather been on cam Rising getting back to a level I've seen him play than players I've seen in only a game or two keep that consistent after game like so I and once again I still think LSU is going to be good I think they'll probably be a top 15 top 20 team but I just feel way better about all the experience that Utah has coming back because LSU just clearly does does not have that experience it's a team that was carried by their high and winning quarterback and their Elite two receivers both of which went off to the NFL and moving on from LSU as well right that's where Clemson's behind Utah too Clemson another one can I just see them put it together right that Cade Club Nick offense has never quite clicked in his his during his two-year tenure now and the defense should be really good but we got to see it from the offense I mean quarterback is such an important part of the puzzling college football and when cam Rising was last healthy this Utah offense averaged 38 points per game and they're even more talented on paper I feel like this year than they were in those years past so I I do think this is a Utah team that deserves to be ranked inside the top 15 I'm good with 12 I would like to see them in the top 10 I think personally I know I think Josh Furlong had them at nine I think that's really good spot I myself would probably have Utah I'd probably be right there with him maybe have Utah up there at 8 right now I think just looking at at the board I might make an argument for Utah at eight or nine right in there with Michigan Florida state Missouri not well Notre Dame would be at the back of all of them as I said but I yeah I think that 12 is good for Utah when you look at the consistency they've had under Kyle Winningham when you look at the strength of this team the front seven that was a top five run defense all coming back the ability to consistency replace players in the secondary as well as the receiver position looking the best it's been for a long time because you have two guys one of them's gone over a thousand yards the other's gone over 600 yards and Damen Alford as well as Dorian singer who look fantastic and we know how good this tight end room is I have a fun episode tomorrow with Max Chadwick where I talk about I think it's the best tight end room in the nation that I think is is a really that's how special I think the Utah tight end room is so you love you look at this roster you look at the HomeField Advantage you look at the schedule it is just set up for Utah to be a top 10 team have a special season win the Big 12 right away so I am incredibly high on this Utah team obviously I think they belong in the top 10 I can hear an argument for why they don't belong inside the top 15 but they to me they absolutely should be in the top 15 any as long as they're in the top 15 I'm not going to be too fired up about anything so like seeing the AP pool it'll be fun to monitor throughout the season at the end of the day too if you love it or hate it it doesn't matter that much because it all gets worked out on the field which we are so close to seeing how that will all shake out and as we get close to the season we get more and more answers like the other position battles that are going on on Utah's roster want to dive into those in one moment but first want to talk to you a little bit more about one of the sponsors of today's episode of Locked on Utes today's episode of Locked on Utes is brought to you by our friends at eBay Motors passion drive and patience the formula for winning champ ships is also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance from superchargers roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and more whether you're into speed power or style eBay Motors has you covered with over 122 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ends in the mix this comes to us from Josh Furlong ksl.com and he talked about Brandt keithy Carson Ryan Landon king that's the big three but then D dalan Bentley Caleb loner Mickey sugga taga um for obviously we've talked heavily about the top I'm going to talk about the top three really a lot on tomorrow's show but Bentley's a guy transferred in from Snow College and you know just a guy who's worked hard done some good things I remember in the spring game made a couple catches and practice and just feels like a guy's bought and worked hard and risen up the ranks earned an opportunity mik sugga toaga last year this team did not have a blocking tight end they moved him from DN to tight end because they thought that that was the best position and spot he would be in to help this team and that ended up being the case where he did help them he had his Growing Pains as a blocking tight end but still it feels like he's gotten better I mean heck KY Winningham said he might be the most consistent tight end they have which is a wild statement but um hey maybe he really is the most cons in terms of blocking if you want to group in allaround play that's where I can see that comment being fair it's just hard to say you know most consistent when you have BR keithy lining up on the outside um but he also mentioned Caleb Lomo is really ahead of the curve and just needs to do a better job keeping his his Pad level down which isn't surprising for a guy who us playing above the rimen on the basketball court right and still learning and acclimating to the position to but they did say they were pleased with his progress so that's something that uh I think is great and I do think this I'm not surprised that there's six guys in the mix because I really think they're that good I think that Utah has this many guys I think all six of these guys would be contributors I think brand Landon and Carson could all start at the power four level and Brand's done it before Carson did at UCLA last year and Landon I just feel like he's poised for a breakout based on what we saw in those limited staps and all those other guys are quality backups so I do I do think that's something important to keep in mind too but that's the tight end room then let's look at the running back room for this Utah team Kyle Winningham did say that when you look at it there are kind of two groups that have emerged the first McKai Bernard Jaylen Glover Mike Mitchell the second Hunter Andrews Charlie Vincent and dejon Stanley and this is interesting to me but just first of all how about Hunter Andrews I mean was dude was a linebacker back in the fall I believe and now they moved him into a running back and we heard about this last week but to see him already this close to being among the first group is incredible and you know Vincent's the guy who's been here for a while works hard bought and I think he's been on the roster since 2019 maybe even longer he's one of those Co guys who's been able to hang around a little bit then you get dejon Stanley in there the athleticism the speed I I think he'll be used heavily in the return game for this Utah team but the first three is the one that's most important right McKai Bernard the veteran Jaylen Glover kind of turning into a veteran even though it just feels weird because feels like we've had him for such a small amount of time but he's already contributed lot over his two years expecting a bigger role this year and Mike Mitchells a guy a fourstar recruit who had the red shirt last year bought in this off season we heard about his strong play in Spring ball and I now he's earning the opportunity to be the third back and I expect this to stay I actually think this is how it will probably go where Miki will get the most carries then Jaylen then Mike but I do expect to see all three of them rotating in pretty frequently maybe Utah will keep it just with the top two but I think that having three of these guys that are all really strong caliber backs and no these are not among the best backs in college football but I think the depth is there where all these guys are quality running backs that can take snaps and get you yards they're not going to break three tackles on every there's no oi Gordon right but lots of guys who I feel really good about being number two backs to maybe one B backs that I think can really support this Utah offense assuming the offensive line gets their job done up front because their running back success is so dependent on the offensive line so no huge surprises in the running back groupings but still cool to see that a guy like Mike Mitchell is hanging in there with some of the the veterans and he'll have an opportunity to earn some playing time this fall so something I'm a fun that I'm I'm excited to keep an eye on is the continued positional battles we're having whether it's the secondary the wide receivers and of course what we just talked about running backs and tight ends too still a lot to sort out during fall camp and we're going to continue to do our best here on locked on Utes to cover it all as a reminder if you're in the market for a second listen that's where Spencer mlin locked on college football have you covered and on tomorrow show I have a great one lined up here as Max Chadwick from Pro Football Focus he's going to join me Max does a great job breaking down the to the game in all of its Glory that we love and he knows the rosters inside and out he actually wrote a piece on this offseason about the best tight ends in college football Brant keithy was on that list do I agree with where he ranked Brant keithy do I think this Utah tight end room is the best in the country I absolutely do does Max Chadwick feel that way no he does not does it lead to a fun show tomorrow where we debate exactly that topic and BR Kei ranking yes it does so hope you guys tune in for tomorrow's lock on UT that's going to do it for today's show uh drop your thoughts in the comments about Isaac Wilson being named qb2 what else do you want to learn about fall Camp what questions do you have as the season draws closer and closer we're continuing to cover all things Utah football and Utah Athletics on lock on Utes we'll see you tomorrow